Mayfield

Mayfield

Our centre at Mayfield is in the charming St Leonards-Mayfield School: for our students it is the “Harry Potter” experience that many of them anticipate when they come to a British boarding school. It is also a great venue for our staff: a beautiful school in lovely surroundings – and the food is great too! Being 15 minutes by car from Tunbridge Wells, it is not really the place to come if you want some excitement and activity off-site, but if you want four weeks in the tranquil heart of the Sussex Weald, then you can’t do better.

Mayfield: charming East Sussex town

Mayfield is a village in East Sussex just ten miles south of Tunbridge Wells and approximately half way between London and the south coast. It has a charming, traditional High Street with a mixture of half-timbered buildings and Sussex tiled cottages.

Today’s village of Mayfield is a perfect example of a traditional English village built in the local style and with local materials. The village sign shows the figure of a young woman and children in a meadow illustrating the Saxon origin of the village name, “Magehefeld” or “Maids Field”.

St Leonard’s School

St. Leonard’s School, Mayfield, is a traditional English school, built largely in local stone and enjoying the most wonderful location and facilities. Based on the medieval palace of the Archbishops of Canterbury, it dates back to the thirteenth century.

After the reformation the old palace of Mayfield was given to various noble men of history until, in 1740, the great hall of the old palace was dismantled and fell largely into ruins. Much of the stone was used to enlarge Aylwins which is where the junior students at St Leonards School live and board.

The school has excellent modern educational and sporting facilities, including an indoor heated swimming pool, and a large sports hall/gymnasium. There are also tennis courts (all-weather), as well as grass fields and Astroturf for football, hockey, volleyball and a variety of other activities. Classrooms are large, light and airy.

Accommodation and Facilities

The students are accommodated in a number of houses, each of which has its own character. Staff are accommodated in a separate block from the students, with shared facilities.

Mayfield is a large village with a good range of shops, cafés, restaurants and three splendid pubs. The countryside around the village is accessible via a network of footpaths and bridleways.

Tunbridge Wells, with its excellent shopping facilities is ten miles away and there is a regular, if somewhat infrequent, bus service.

	Elac Excursions All staff will be involved at some point in accompanying students on excursions. There are two full-day excursions to London and Winchester, and two half days to Bodiam Castle and Hastings, and Brighton. London We travel to London by coach, then enjoy a walking tour of the city from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square, taking in many of the principal sights. There is then time for some shopping, or visiting a free museum/gallery. Winchester Winchester is the ancient capital of England, and a fabulous place to discover lots about its history. Among the attractions are the Cathedral, The Royal Armouries Fort Nelson, Winchester Castle (including the legendary Round Table) and the City Museum. We will travel there by coach and take students on a walking tour before they have the opportunity to visit one of the attractions or spend time visiting the shops.
	Oxford Our three week students also visit Oxford during their stay. Oxford is a city with a long history, much of it surrounding the university, which together with Cambridge are among the oldest and best known universities in Europe. Oxford University is made up of a number of independent colleges, and these are scattered throughout the city centre. During the visit you will have the opportunity to visit one of these colleges, so that you can get a feel of what it is like to study there. Brighton We travel there by coach, and the itinerary involves a guided tour of the principal attractions (Royal Pavilion, Pier and Lanes) with included entrance into either the Pavilion or The Sea Life Centre, followed by free time for shopping etc. It is a great opportunity for the students (and staff!) to enjoy a day out by the sea. Hastings Hastings is famous in English history for the Battle of Hastings in 1066, (though it took place outside Hastings in nearby Battle!). It also has associations in the past with smuggling, and some of the students may elect to visit the Smugglers Adventure. On the way to Hastings the coach will make a brief stop at the beautiful Bodiam Castle. Tunbridge Wells There is an extra half-day trip on the last afternoon to the market town of Royal Tunbridge Wells, where students can get some last minute presents and souvenirs to take home.
In addition to the excursions included in the programme there are a number of other trips which groups elect to do on their free day. These include: Cambridge, Leeds Castle, Canterbury, Hever Castle, London (again!) and others.
If you enjoy taking students on excursions, or you just want to ‘work more — earn more’, then let the Activity Co-ordinator know that you are keen to get involved.